A legend passes

[Dave W]

Earl Scruggs

You don't have to be a bluegrass fan to appreciate his influence.

[patman]

Very few musical idioms were created by one man...what we know of as bluegrass banjo was pretty much created by Earl. Saw him twice, and he kicked butt both times.

[drbassman]

I grew up, on and off between my dad's military moves, in southern Ohio and bluegrass and CW were everywhere.  We had one rock station and the rest were CW.  Flatts and Scruggs were a big part of the scene.  I hate to admit that I know just about every song written by Hank Williams by heart I heard them so many times!  Time marches on for the old timers.

I agree, he and his colleagues were innovators and trend setters.  It was a great time in music and it still resonates today.

[mc2NY]

Saw him live years ago in Nashville.

I had a banjo as a kid and played the basics...strange for a NYC native but my mom was a mega country music fan, so that was a lot of what I heard on the radio. Someone stole my banjo in college but I still incorporate some of that finger style into my bass playing on occasion. Thumb with two fingers is a subtle difference between three finger playing but does come in handy for certain runs/riffs.

[Dave W]

Earl Scruggs and sons with The Byrds

[patman]

I played banjo for about 8 to 10 years when the kids were growing up and I wasn't in bands.

Just bought one very recently once again.  After six to 8 years or so not playing, boy am I rusty...

[mc2NY]

Earl Scruggs and sons with The Byrds

Clarence White's prototype Tele with his B string bender was just FS on EBAY about a week ago. Might even be the one he's playing in this clip, since the finish was stripped.

[Dave W]

One almost-forgotten thing that helped make Flatt & Scruggs famous was their sponsorship by Martha White's Flour in the 50s and 60s. Besides sponsoring their syndicated TV show and Opry segments, Martha White paid them to tour, so they were able to play in smaller towns that would otherwise never have been able to afford paying them enough to put on a concert. Mostly in the South and Appalachia. They were immensely popular.